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150 days of living and coding in a van

ruby-on-wheels.github.io

241–250 of 445 posts

Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van

#241

I'm curious - don't people miss big monitors when coding on a laptop? I've done a fair amount of coding on laptops while travelling and it's okay, but I feel like a big monitor is optimal for most work and wouldn't want a permanent situation with just laptop. I like to have logs, command line, and editor all visible, and ideally a browser too. The editor alone is much more useful in a big window where you can see a f…

> I'm curious - don't people miss big monitors when coding on a laptop? I've done a fair amount of coding on laptops while travelling and it's okay, but I feel like a big monitor is optimal for most work and wouldn't want a permanent situation with just laptop. That is why we, coders, are different from other 99,99% of population of the Earth. I gave the original post to my wife and her first question was “How’s the…

That is an interesting point. I didn't even take the lonely factor into account.

Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van

#242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm curious - don't people miss big monitors when coding on a laptop? I've done a fair amount of coding on laptops while travelling and it's okay, but I feel like a big monitor is optimal for most work and wouldn't want a permanent situation with just laptop. That is why we, coders, are different from other 99,99% of population of the Earth. I gave the original post to my wife and her first question was “How’s the…

I directly skipped to finding a solution to that "problem". I literally found myself browsing amazon for monitor stands that can be folded and easily mounted in a van. What happens if I break hard? Hmm... I came up with requirements for a monitor stand suitable for use in a van. For a moment, I remember being depressed about the zero number of perfect solutions for this "basic" use-case. Now I'm convinced that I'd ne…

not sure if serious or not; but just move monitor back against wall it's attached to and strap it down while moving. Generally solved issue in the RV industry with TVs.

Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van

#243
post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey! I'm the author of that article. I respect your opinion and I totally agree that van life is not for everyone. However it's seems funny that I've never experienced one of your concerns: > I would totally hate the lack of space and comfort. I have 12 square meters and my bed is super comfortable. Most of the time I'm outside. Works perfect for me. > I'd sleep really poorly at night when it's super hot in summer an…

> In Europe the 4G network coverage is amazing. Within the last five months I had less issues with my connectivity than some of my co-workers using a cable internet. Do you get enough data volume? Most sim cards for use with computer are quite restricted. Or can you live off 10GB/month?

In Ireland you can get unlimited data for 20eur/month.

Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van

#244

This is awesome. So much so, I'm going to borrow his idea and kick this off next Spring. If the author is reading this, some questions: - How do you deal with solitude? Most can handle it but seeing as everyday is a new day in a new place there must be an urge to share that with somebody. - This mode of living must have an impact on the ol' love life. What do the ladies say - if you meet many at all - when you sugges…

> How do you deal with solitude? Most can handle it but seeing as everyday is a new day in a new place there must be an urge to share that with somebody. I haven't experienced solitude so far. Sometimes I even leave crowded spots because I want some time for myself. I travel in Europe, not in Alaska. I meet people everyday and on top of that I have a regular job and interact with my co-workers every weekday. Mostly a…

Thanks for the reply. Very neat adventure you're on.

> Sometimes you meet people who don't love the "simple" life like I do.

Hey, if the ladies don't dig the man with the van, their loss!

Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van

#245
post #238

I'm curious - don't people miss big monitors when coding on a laptop? I've done a fair amount of coding on laptops while travelling and it's okay, but I feel like a big monitor is optimal for most work and wouldn't want a permanent situation with just laptop. I like to have logs, command line, and editor all visible, and ideally a browser too. The editor alone is much more useful in a big window where you can see a f…

Sometimes, like when I'm working on a UI, it's nice to have the code, the chrome debugger, and the UI view all up and running. But I'm finding it less necessary, because of the trade-off. I really enjoy the simplicity of my 11" MBAir and the portability of working anywhere. You get really good between swiping between desktops. And having limited screen space means I quiet down all the distracting notifications, popup…

> REPL-first development, then copy the code into the actual editor

side topic, and not to start editor wars.. but you might want to look into emacs.

Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van

#246
post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We get this a lot. We're sailing cruisers - similar to the van thing, except on water and you use wind and pull on bits of string for propulsion, with the diesel engine only a secondary (but important) means. Especially from the mate's mother: "When are you going to stop this nonsense and get a real job and a home?".

There's a whole community of us global travelers who have shunned the whole "being an adult" thing. I know several people that have been backpacking and doing the working-holiday thing for 4 or 5 years. Never staying in one city for more than around 3 months, and moving countries when their working holiday visa expires. Their families have mostly been saying the same thing. Settling down isn't for everyone.

>Their families have mostly been saying the same thing.

To be fair, they probably just want grandchildren.

Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van

#248
post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We get this a lot. We're sailing cruisers - similar to the van thing, except on water and you use wind and pull on bits of string for propulsion, with the diesel engine only a secondary (but important) means. Especially from the mate's mother: "When are you going to stop this nonsense and get a real job and a home?".

There's a whole community of us global travelers who have shunned the whole "being an adult" thing. I know several people that have been backpacking and doing the working-holiday thing for 4 or 5 years. Never staying in one city for more than around 3 months, and moving countries when their working holiday visa expires. Their families have mostly been saying the same thing. Settling down isn't for everyone.

Funny about the adult thing. When I managed other peoples computers, had I fucked up really badly, about 1200 people would've not been able to do their work and some company would've potentially lost a few million buckazoids. If I were to fuck up really bad when sailing (or boat maintenance), I and those nearest and dearest to me would die.

Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van

#249
post #104
post #24

I am doing something somewhat related. I built a Jeep Wrangler into a house on wheels [1], and am driving around Africa for two years. I am freelancing for Magazines, and earning money through my website and social presence. I have not done any coding on this trip, mostly becuase I find it hard to get remote work that meets my flexibility needs - i.e. weeks off-grid and only occasional checkins/calls. Last time I dro…

This sounds both interesting and audacious. I'm nearing retirement and considering various options for what to do next. Could you explain how you earn $$ from 'social presence'? I'm a personable guy, but I don't know that I could convince anyone to give me money just for showing up to something.

Once you have enough of a following brands will contact you for product placement, ads on website, etc. etc.

Re: 150 days of living and coding in a van

#250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a whole community of us global travelers who have shunned the whole "being an adult" thing. I know several people that have been backpacking and doing the working-holiday thing for 4 or 5 years. Never staying in one city for more than around 3 months, and moving countries when their working holiday visa expires. Their families have mostly been saying the same thing. Settling down isn't for everyone.

Won't life eventually catch up to them? Or is that part of the adventure to see how long running away can last?

Jesus. How childish are you?
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